Wisteria
by KaleidoscopeKreation
Summary: 'You're here to see Zakuro-san.' 'Yeah. You're her sister, aren't you, er...' Pai acted as though he knew her name, but she could see him floundering...  'Lettuce,' she supplied helpfully. He had the grace to blush.


**Dedication: This story is dedicated to three different parties: 1. True Colours, for beta-ing, giving me much-appreciated feedback and general awesomeness; 2. Saba's Reflection, whose birthday I missed... hope this makes up for it, Saba-chan!... ; and the Wisteria plant that grows outside my house, that smells so nice and has inspired both me and True on various occasions. Thanks, Wisteria! **

**A/N: in this fic, seeing as Lettuce and Zakuro are sisters, they will both have the surname Midorikawa. Pai's surname is Fujiwara instead. **

****

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. I merely own my brain. **

* * *

Wisteria

'Zakuro-chan!'

Zakuro turned away from her friends, regarding the boy who was hailing her with a half-smile on her lips.

'Fujiwara-kun!' she called, and with a backward glance to her friends, she walked forward and met her boyfriend. His arms snaked around her waist as he bent down to kiss her, which he did with all the style that their audience would expect. Zakuro's friends giggled and watched in awe, while the group of boys who stood behind Pai wolf-whistled and sniggered – that is, until Zakuro broke away and silenced them with a death-stare. One look from Zakuro was enough to make anyone with a sense of self-preservation shut up.

That done, Zakuro turned back to her boyfriend, regarding him with a raised eyebrow. 'Was there anything in particular that you wanted?'

Pai shrugged – neither of the two ever showed much emotion. 'Are you free tonight?'

'I'm grounded, after last Saturday,' Zakuro grimaced. 'But...' she leant closer and whispered in Pai's ear. 'My mum never said anything about boys not being allowed _in, _right?'

'How do I get there without your parents catching me?' Pai murmured.

'It's simple. Just stay in the shadows, and...'

Mint watched the two talking in admiration. _She's so cool, _she thought, relishing again the fact that she hung out with such a cool person. _I hope Zakuro spills as to what they're talking about..._

'... So it's really a piece of cake.' Zakuro finished. Pai didn't look convinced, but Zakuro just gave him a peck on the cheek, and before he could question her further, moved off to join her friends, with a slight swagger in her walk.

Her boyfriend gazed after her, until someone's fist connected with his shoulder. 'Hey, lover-boy,' It was his friend Ryou, standing behind him with a raised eyebrow. 'You coming?'

'Sure,' Pai shrugged and turned away, still wondering just what Zakuro had got him into.

They're a great couple.

Zakuro and Pai, that is. They are so similar, him the arty, popular guy, she the cool, clever it-girl. Both seniors at our school, and most of all... they're both so beautiful. Just looking at them makes a normal girl like me want to sink through the floor.

It isn't made any easier by the fact that Zakuro's my sister, so everybody expects me to follow in her footsteps. To date, it's been more like hiding in her shadow, too scared to venture forth - having to wish my big sister luck before every date, and listen to her wail about how she's sure the latest boy she's into doesn't like her, though both of us know he's completely in love with her.

No. I mean, I really am happy for her. It just gets a little... repetitive, that's all.

So anyway. Mostly I just keep my head down, because I know it's pointless even trying to outdo my sister. I work hard, and get good grades, and I hang around with other quiet, kind people like me. We try and keep out of arguments and away from boys, for the most part. Having a boyfriend who's even remotely desirable draws attention toward you – attention that in my family is Zakuro's by right.

Competing with Zakuro is nothing but a bad idea.

So I just go along with it, and stay out of her way.

I've just come panting out of school, pulling on my cardigan, shouting a quick 'bye' over my shoulder to my friend Pudding. My braids fly out around me, and my bag's half-open and banging painfully on my leg. Thank goodness I don't wear glasses anymore (Zakuro insists I use contacts). Glasses are just one more thing to break, really.

I draw in a deep breath and compose myself, dealing with the moment when I'm going to have to go over there and extricate Zakuro from her friends, so we can catch the bus home. The last thing she needs is to be grounded _again. _

_Okay, so here goes..._

'So he's actually going to come to –? '

'I've said _three times _already, Minto.' My sister sounded bored, though her friends were pressing around her, eagerly questioning her about something.

'That's so sweet!' her friend Ichigo enthused, her glossy red hair glinting in the afternoon light. 'Even though you're grounded, he's not leaving you for something better to do!'

'Yeah right,' Zakuro snorted. 'Just because he knows if he ditches me for a night on the town he's as good as dumped.'

I feel a surge of annoyance at her cynicism, but brush it away quickly. I clear my throat loudly. 'Oneesama?'

'Lettuce-oneechan?' Zakuro swings around to me in surprise. 'What do you want?'

'_Retasu-chan!' _Ichigo squeals, bearing down on me. 'How nice to see you!' She's half-mocking, treating me like I'm four, not fourteen. To them, a little sister's a baby to be played with, no matter the actual age.

'You see me every day, Ichigo.' I remind her.

'Hey there, Lettuce,' drawls Minto, the blue-haired posh girl who idolizes my sister more than I do. Though they're exactly the same age, Mint practically kisses the ground Zakuro walks on. You'd think she'd have a little respect for me, as I'm her heroine's sister. No such luck. 'Got a boyfriend yet?'

I flush bright red, but Zakuro comes to my rescue. 'I have enough guys for both of us,' she deflects the question neatly, and I give her a grateful glance. She knows just how to shut Mint up. 'Well, what was it you wanted, Retasu?'

'We need to get the bus,' I remind her gently.

She stops, smacking her forehead hard. 'So we do! S'later, girls, gotta go!' Then she takes my hand and we head off down the road, hair flying out behind us, to catch the bus. I wince as I realise just how 'perfect sisters'-ish we must look from the back.

As soon as Zakuro sees that the bus hasn't gone yet, we slow down and walk down the stretch of road to the bus stop at a leisurely pace. The ideal time to ask Zakuro about just what Pai's doing that's 'so sweet'.

I test the waters nervously. 'Uh, Zakuro, you know what Ichigo was saying just before I...'

'Made yourself known?' Zakuro cuts me off, glancing down at me with raised eyebrows. 'It's not polite to listen into other people's conversations, Lettuce.'

'I couldn't help hearing; as I came up you were talking really loudly!'

Zakuro smiles. 'Even so, it's really none of your business, little sis. I'll tell you tomorrow, when it's over, okay?'

_What the..._'You're not sneaking out, are you?' I ask nervously. Last time dad caught her at that... well, let's just say _my _eardrums hurt for a week.

'Nope,' Zakuro replies enigmatically, her smile mischievous. '_I'm _not going anywhere.'

I shrug, and let the conversation drop. Anyway, the bus is coming now, and it'll take all our concentration to get seats.

_That evening..._

Pai came into view of the Midorikawa's house, keeping to the shadows, as instructed. _So, _he thought, staring up at the large house. _What am I supposed to do now again? _Oh yes. _That. _

He couldn't believe he'd let Zakuro talk him into this – apart from being like something out of _Romeo and Juliet, _it was totally impractical, not to mention risky. Supposing he fell and broke his neck? Or worse, her parents noticed something and came out to investigate?

Pushing these worries to the back of his mind, Pai looked forward, narrowing his eyes to see through the darkness...

Until he saw a vine, wending its way up to one of the windows. _This must be the one. _

Tentatively, Pai reached forward, grabbing onto the lowest branch and testing its strength. He was in luck – the wood, though old, was hard and firm, and thick enough for a child to sit on. He vaguely wondered if Zakuro and her siblings had ever played on this vine when they were smaller. _Wait, does Zakuro even have any brothers or sisters? _He honestly couldn't remember.

But back to the business of climbing.

He realised now that this vine was, in fact, a _Wisteria floribunda, _or Japanese Wisteria. As it was late spring, the plant was in full bloom – a bloom that, if he recalled rightly, would last all of summer. With its beautiful, grape-bunch shaped blooms and its heavy, almost spicy scent, the climbing plant featured in many poems about love; one in particular, Pai remembered, he had analyzed for his literature Finals in Junior year.

He had been quite sceptical about the poem, suggesting that the authors' appreciation of the looks and smell was enhanced by his feeling of love, but now he realized just how captivating the plant really was. Pai was only a few meters below the window now, his subconscious having kept him climbing even as his mind was preoccupied.

_Curious, _he thought. _Out of a crowd of blooms, few would look first to this one, but on closer inspection, it really is an extremely attractive flower... _As he heaved himself up into reach of the window, Pai decided that, in fact, he quite liked wisteria. It was somehow subtle, yet still very beautiful. _But enough waxing lyrical about climbing plants. Now, I get to see my girl... _Pai raised his hand and rapped on the window. A warm breeze blew through his hair as he waited, balanced precariously on the wall. He tightened his grip on the windowsill, wondering what on Earth was taking Zakuro so long.

Lettuce stepped out of the shower with a satisfied sigh, towelling her long green hair dry with one hand and reaching for her dressing gown with the other. Knotting the robe securely round her waist, she was just heading along the landing to her room when she saw Zakuro lean out, in her silk nightdress, but still with a full face of makeup. She had been about to close the door.

'Zakuro-oneechan?' Lettuce said timidly. 'Why are you wearing mascara to bed?'

'No reason,' Zakuro returned coolly, and then firmly shut herself in. Lettuce shrugged for the second time that day. Maybe she _was _sneaking out after all.

Shivering slightly, though it was a warm night, Lettuce continued toward her room, her hair dripping down onto her bare shoulders. Her feet sunk into the warm carpet, as she paced along the corridor, a hand coming up to push her bedroom door open-

_Tap tap. _

Lettuce froze where she stood, listening to the noise coming from her room. She walked slowly into the room, closing the door behind her, and glanced around. There was no one there. The breeze was making the curtains billow and the wisteria that grew outside dance around the sill.

_Could it be coming from outside?..._

Heart beating fast, Lettuce headed over to her window. Sliding it open enough for her to lean out, she scanned the area just outside her room, and then looked down to the wall below.

And there, not a meter below her, his face turned up and arm held ready to knock again, hung Pai.

'Gomen Nasai!' Two voices rung out simultaneously in the evening air. Lettuce felt her cheeks turn red as she took in the fact that Fujiwara Pai, senior, school heart-throb, and most importantly, her sister's boyfriend, was hanging from the wisteria outside _her_ window.

'What the-'

'I'm sorry,' Pai apologized again. 'I appear to have come to the wrong room.'

Lettuce dropped her gaze and sighed. Of course, it all added up; Zakuro's behaviour, her friends' comments, and even what had happened just a few seconds ago, when her sister had shut her door so firmly. How hadn't Lettuce realized that Pai was going to come over? Zakuro had done it before, after all.

'It's fine, Fujiwara-san,' Lettuce bowed her head respectfully, though she was already practically horizontal from hanging out of the window. 'You're visiting Zakuro, right?'

'Yeah. You're her sister, aren't you, er...' Pai acted as though he knew her name, but she could see him floundering. Lettuce tried hard to repress the feeling of disappointment; _Of course he doesn't know my name; I'm totally off his radar! _

She waited patiently for a few more moments, and then decided to lend him a hand. 'Lettuce,' she supplied helpfully.

He had the grace to blush.

'I'm sorry, Lettuce,' he apologized for a third time. 'All Zakuro told me was to take the climbing plant up to her window. This was the first plant I came to, so...'

'Seriously, don't worry,' she reassured him. 'It's an easy mistake to make. The wisteria is probably stronger than the roses, and easier to climb.' She looked down to see Pai gazing into space, barely taking in her words. _He looks so handsome, with his hair all ruffled like that... _Lettuce hastily pushed that thought from her brain.

'It really is a lovely flower, wisteria,' Pai mused, more to himself than to her. 'Such a great combination, purple and green, and the smell is almost overpowering...' he leant down to touch one of the blossoms, loosening his grip on the vine; and causing him to lose his balance. With a yelp he rocked backward, hand out...

...and Lettuce leaned forward reflexively to grab it.

She locked her hands around his forearm and pulled him forward, holding him steadily until he'd regained his grip. They both stayed frozen in place, panting, their faces a mere few inches apart.

_His eyes, purple... stormy... can't – breathe – _

_Her hands on me... this feeling is strangely... pleasant. Her eyes are such a beautiful colour – almost like the leaves of this wisteria... Zakuro... __**Retasu...**_

The moment was shattered as a bird began to sing shrilly close by them, breaking the peace of the evening. Pai shook his head, breaking eye contact with Lettuce, and she loosed her grip on his hand, drawing her fingers back to hold the sill.

'You sh-should probably be g-going, Fujiwara-san,' Lettuce managed. 'Zakuro will be wondering where you are.'

'Okay...' Pai agreed. Then he looked back into the darkening garden, his eyes narrowed in puzzlement. 'But how do I actually get to Zakuro's window?'

'Well, I think the best way would be to climb across the roof – don't worry, the slope's gentle enough to walk on – and from there onto the rambler roses outside her bedroom. They were probably what she meant when she said 'climbing plant'. Be careful, though – they're really quite thorny.'

Pai nodded in thanks, but then thought of something. 'Why can't I just climb into your room?' both of them blushed as they realized how that _could _be taken, but then Lettuce tutted, easing the awkwardness.

'Honestly, P- Fujiwara-san. It would hardly be romantic if you got there through the door, smuggled in by her little sister, would it?'

Pai laughed. 'You're right, Lettuce. And by the way...' he leaned forward, 'feel free to call me Pai. I mean, we're friends now, right?'

Lettuce felt her heartbeat quicken. 'Okay... P-pai.'

'That's better,' he grinned _(I've never seen him apologize, laugh _or_ grin before – and now he's done all three in the space of a few minutes!)_. 'Well, Lettuce; thank you, and so long.' He started to inch along the wisteria to the roof, but then stopped and turned back to her.

'Oh, by the way... how do you know so much about how to get across?' he asked curiously.

Lettuce chuckled softly. 'Midnight feasts when we were smaller. Oh, and, of course, other guys who've made this mistake. You're not the first I've had to direct to the right window, you know.'

'Oh. Right.' Pai couldn't think quite what to say; of course, he knew that Zakuro had had boyfriends before him, but it was still disconcerting to be just one of a long line of them, as Lettuce must see him. Suddenly, he felt a strong wave of pity for this quiet, shrinking little sister, patiently helping boys along their way to see her older sister, without a love of her own.

And she deserved one. She was quite a beauty herself, once she was out of her sister's shadow. Pai wondered whether he would have noticed her before if it weren't for Zakuro, standing next to her, to compare with.

'Pai-san?' Lettuce asked tentatively. 'You should go, before it gets too dark.'

'Yeah,' he had to think for a moment to remember why he had come here in the first place. 'You're right, I'd better go.'

'Good luck, Pai-san!' she called softly after him, giving a timid wave.

'Goodbye, and thanks again, Retasu... chan.' There was something else on the tip of his tongue, that he wanted to say to her, but he couldn't quite his finger on it. Still puzzling over this feeling, Pai began the slow climb across the roof.

Lettuce watched him go with a slight sigh. He was such an amazing boy; smart, and clever and beautiful... totally out of her league. The kind of person only girls like Zakuro got in real life.

Still. That conversation had been good. She had never known how _nice _he could be, away from his other friends, when he was on his own with nothing to fear. It gave her a fuzzy, warm feeling inside remembering his words.

'_Feel free to call me Pai. I mean, we're friends now, right?'_

Friends. They were friends. And though she tried hard not to let it grow, she couldn't stop that tiny seed of hope swelling inside her, as she remembered that moment when his face had been so close to hers, and then, just before he disappeared into the night, that thing he had said:

'_...Retasu-chan.'_

_-chan._

It was amazing how that one little syllable could make her feel so happy.

Pai scrambled off the roof and onto the roses, wincing as he nearly immediately pricked himself on a thorn. The flowers were barely visible in darkness, their dark red colour merging into the deep blue of the dusk. That meant he could barely see the thorns, either.

With a grunt of satisfaction, Pai saw that he was nearly at the window, now. He could smell the roses around, but after the perfume of the wisterias, this smell was infuriating; there was just enough smell to be there, but not enough for him to be able to properly appreciate it. So it hung there, sweet but irritating, unreachable as... well, something unreachable. His brain wasn't functioning properly after so much prickly (literally) climbing.

He brought a hand up and rapped at the window, and then gasped in pain as another thorn dug deeply into his thumb. He sucked soothingly at the wound as he waited for the window to open.

_This would never have happened outside Lettuce's window. _The thought came unbidden into his mind. Pai stifled a groan as the pain as a splinter of thorn came out in his mouth, grazing his tongue.

_Roses may be the traditional flowers of love; but quite frankly, I think I prefer the Wisteria. _

_**~FIN~**_

**A/N: I'm sorry that Minto and Ichigo were so OoC, and that Pudding and Ryou were only fleetingly mentioned. If I were going to develop this into more than a one-shot, I might expand their characters. **

**I hope that this satisfies Pai fans, and I'm sorry there wasn't very much fluff for either of the pairings; it was meant to be more of an 'atmosphere' fic that a 'fluffsville' fic. **

**Happy late Birthday, Saba-chan! I hope you like this fic! XD**


End file.
